Medical restraint apparatuses used for securing a patient to a bed have heretofore been known. Such apparatuses commonly include a web strap which can be secured at its opposite ends to the frame of a bed. The strap is provided with a pair of spaced cuffs fixedly secured at spaced locations to the web strap. These cuffs serve to patient to a bed and restrain the patient in a prone position.
Prior art medical restraint apparatuses come in various sizes. In the devices used for small sixteen inches. For larger sized patients, the spacing is usually twenty-four inches. Moreover, with the cuffs fixedly secured to the web strap, damage to a cuff requires replacement of the medical restraint apparatus eventhough the other cuff and/or the web strap are in good condition.
Known prior art devices use a buckle and strap closure for the cuff. While this closure is effective in firmly securing the cuff to the limb of a patient, it is awkward and difficult to manipulate, especially if a patient is resisting application of the medical restraint apparatus to his limbs. Certain of these prior art restraining devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,172,453; 3,878,844; 3,474,781; 3,042,031; 2,991,785; 2,848,993; 2,697,436; 2,425,489; 2,295,806; 1,969,314 and 1,887,022. However, none of these devices feature easily releasable cuffs to facilitate replacement or adjustments to the position of the cuffs, and in general they are difficult to manipulate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved medical restraint apparatus for restraining a patient to a bed and in which the cuffs are removable such that a damaged cuff can be replaced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a medical restraint apparatus in which the effective spacing between the cuffs can be adjusted along the length of the web strap to accommodate patients of various sizes.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a medical restraint apparatus having an improved cuff closure which can be readily manipulated by a nurse or other medical personnel to simplify application of the cuffs to the wrist or ankles of a patient to be restrained.
Other objects and advantages of the medical restraint apparatus constructed in accordance with various features of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description together with the drawings described as follows.